Don Sugg smiles a lot. Probably because he's happy - happy to be alive, and happy he has so many wonderful memories. To celebrate his 96th birthday last week, the native Toledoan added another memory to his long life. He jumped out of an airplane. "It's a thrill", says the white-haired Don, who says he loves the excitement of it. But he says, it's sort of "routine", because you see, this was not Don's first jump. In fact, he's been observing many of his birthdays these days by getting into an airplane, climbing to 14,000 feet and taking a plunge. He doesn't jump solo, but does it as a tandem skydive with an instructor from Skydive Deland skydiving center near Orlando Florida, not far from where he now lives. This year's jump, however, took on a special significance, as Don decided he wanted to use this leap from 14,000 feet to help solicit donations for the Alzheimer's Center of Central Florida. Don invited members of the group to watch the dive and even had his jumpsuit embroidered with the address and phone number of the Alzheimer's center on the back. He says he has watched too many friends deal with the ravages of the disease and he himself spends time volunteering to help the caregivers who are often exhausted by the constant attention they must provide. Don, who is now legally blind, grew up in Toledo during the depression years and spent much of his life in the area as a commercial painter and restaurant owner before retiring to Florida. He says he has many great memories of his life in Ohio, including many summers at Put-in Bay. His adventures aren't just confined to skydiving, but he has also traveled extensively and has done some whitewater rafting. His passion for parachuting came about some 15 years ago when he did a jump with his two sisters when they were all in their 80's. They both died recently and were also in their 90's. Don says he now wants to help other remember their great memories of life. As for his longevity and outlook on life, he is quick to tell you he is a positive thinker. He doesn't like negative thoughts and is convinced that someday researchers will find a cure for Alzheimer's. At 96, he's says he just doing what he can to help raise awareness and money for that cause. Jumping out of airplane was one way of doing it. Will he do it again? He won't say for sure, but does say, he hopes that this "jump to remember" is just the start of something bigger. If you want to contribute to Don's cause, you can contact the Alzheimer's Center of Central Florida at 407-951-7992.
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